Ueno First City Hotel

Small room

We were on the first floor, so it could get a little noisy if we wanted to open a window (e.g. a water pipe was located right by a window).

there is no lobby to hang around with friends, which we usually do after we come back from sightseeing.

The location near Ueno station

A lot of light came in through the windows even with the blackout curtain down so we woke up very early every day, but sleep masks helped!

Pillows so hard

The hotel is located in a quiet section of Ueno. Walking distance to Ameyko market with a lot of shopping and food options, as well as several transit stations. The main complaint we have with the hotel was that our room smelled of grey water/sewage. You can open a window and the smell eventually dissipates but it is not pleasant to come back to. Directly around the hotel is not very active and there isn’t a lot of food options that have good hours, there is a cafe on site. We did not partake in the cafe, and while breakfast is offered you need to pay for it beforehand. When we tried to go down one morning we were turned away due to not having selected that option beforehand.

The location and cleanliness The lady at the front desk was not accommodating and friendly

The only positive point is its proximity to several train lines. The amenities are standard, nothing special. There are pillows to choose from, but they're usually sold out if you arrive late. The room is quite small, and more importantly, it wasn't clean from the first day I checked in. I stayed for 10 nights, but it was only cleaned twice. This resulted in trash accumulating in the room for four days before it was finally cleaned, as you can see in the attached pictures. The floor and under the bed were extremely dirty. The bed was very hard, causing back pain and insomnia.

Great location, comfortable futon. Later checkout than normal, 11am was awesome The garbage Japanese hotel bean pillow, slightly thin walls.

Staff

After spending a week in Tokyo, I can confidently say I made the right choice in choosing Ueno as my neighborhood. What's more, Ueno First City Hotel was probably the best choice in terms of value for money and the location within Ueno. It's off the main tourist drag and it feels quiet during the day and night. I needed that after the busyness of the city each day. It's a bit of a walk (but not a dealbreaker) to Ueno station for the Yamanote Line but there are metro stops closer to the hotel. Room was basic but clean and comfortable, enjoyed the deep bath every night after getting back. There are laundry facilities in the basement. Midway through my stay, I realized I had miscalculated my bookings (accidentally booked a day less than I needed before going to Osaka), and the desk staff were very helpful allowing me to book another night in the same room, which helped me avoid making a trek with my bags. I never did figure out the hours of the cafe downstairs. They happened to be open the day I checked in, which allowed me to kill some time. Food was good and staff were friendly there. But their posted hours never seemed to be correct, and just seemed to be a matter of luck if they were open or not. But it doesn't affect my score of the hotel itself.

The hotel is in a quiet, mainly residential area, about 15 minutes' walk from the Keihan and also JR Ueno stations. I liked that there were not a lot of touristy things around, but it was an easy walk over to Ueno Park and Ameyoko. The room is plain but clean and not as tiny as many Japanese hotels; the bath is deep, and they provide personal hygiene items as well as a robe/gown and slippers. The hotel breakfast (extra charge; reserve on check-in) was a very filling Japanese-style combination (see photo); be aware they don't offer coffee, but the hotel coffee shop opens mid-morning and there are coffee vending machines and convenience stores nearby as well. There are several steps from street level to the front door, so plan to carry up luggage. Inside, there are elevators. The staff may not speak much English: it's helpful if you speak some Japanese or are comfortable using Google Translate on your phone. I found this a relaxing and comfortable place to stay, in Ueno's laid back vibe.

The sound proofing can be improved.

Nice Nice

Good location, located in shopping area but not chaotic.

Well located hotel around a number of train stations making it convenient to get around. Location also provides quite a bit of food options especially at night when coming back from being out in the city. Hotel was also very well staffed and everyone was pleasant. Comfort level is a little low for the price, the bed is incredibly hard and only a small comforter and two very bad pillows are provided. Asked for additional pillows and was not accommodated, which seems odd for any hotel I've stayed at. They did a great deal of painting during my stay which also caused most of the common areas to smell very strongly of paint for most of the stay.

Very nice No

Close to train station and cleanliness? None

The mattresses were a little thin. Since I'm a side sleeper, I'd frequently wake up with sore shoulders.